Combination tail lamp



Aug; la, w27. 1,639,497

- C. GCDLEY COMBINTI 0N TA, IL LAM? Filed waren l. 1925 2 shwrs-'sneer 1 G50/e, i oc//e/g 1,639,497 ug- 16 1927- C, E. GoDLEY COMBINATION TAIL LAMP Filed March 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y[jade/22621.'

Patented Aug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-ICE.

CHARLES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORq-BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T G. M. HALL LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MICHIGAN.

COMBINATION 'TAIL LAMP.

Application filed March 16, 1925. Serial No. 15,847.

My invention relates to combination lamps oi' the general type in which separately controlled `lamp bulbs are employed for illuminating different translucent parts of the lamp casing. l/Vhere lamps of this general class are used as the tail lamps of automobiles, it is Vhighly desirable that a continuously lighted Iamp bulb should continuously furnish an eiiective illumination l0 for three dilierent purposes; namely, for the usual tail indication, for lighting an adjacent license plate, and for .furnishing a back-up lightl on the roadway. It also is un )ortant that another and intermittently l5 lighted lamp bulb should eiiectively illuminate a signal indication, suoli as a lens displaying the word Stop, and that this signal indication should be instantly and strikinglyvisible to the driver of any vehicle behind tliecar on which the lamp is installed.

In its general aspects, my present invention aims to provide a quite compact lamp construction which will be unusually eiiective lor all our ot' these purposes. More particularly, my invention aims to provide' a combination lamp of this class in which the continuously lighted tail signal will be eilectively displayed by a relatively small portion of the hnn o front; in which the intermittently lightec sivnal indication is dsplayed by a relatvely large part of the lens front and is of suc size and shapeas to 'attract instant attention when illuminated; r also, to effect an adequate distribution of the light ot the corresponding lamp bulb over such a large and distinctively shaped translucent signal portion, so that the signal indication will be clearly visible and legible at a considerable distance. y

Moreover, my invention aims to provide a casing construction which will afford' a non-rattling closure between front and rear sections of the casing, aims to provide simple and effective" means for securing the -trontal translucent parts of the: lamp `in effective position and simple means for affordiuo the lettering of the signal indication. tt also aims to provide a novel and unusually effective partition ,A construction for a compartmentallamp, and aV casing formed for enabling the partition to prevent the light from each lamp bulb from entering the other compartment. Still' further and also more detailed objects will appear from the ollowinor specification and from the accompanying rawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a compartmental automobile tail lamp embodying my invention.

2 is a side elevationof the same. Fig. 8 is an enlarged central, vertical and longitudinal section through the same lamp.

Fig. 4 is an enlargement of a lower righthand portion of Fig. 3 showing details of the mounting of the lower lens window and `of the mounting of the conducting member which carries current from one of the circuit terminals to the upper lamp bulb.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the detached :trontsection of the lamp.

Fig. (i is a front elevation of the lam With the iront section of the lampv detache and with a casing portion broken away to show how the lower lens window projects beyond the adjacent bottom portion ofthe lamp casing.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken through Fig. 6 along the line 7 7.

Fig. S is a front elevation of the lower lens window, showing this when detached, and Fig. 9 is a bottom view of the same.

Fig. 10 `is a perspective view of the framelike packing member interposed between this bottom lens and the adjacent bottom portion of the casing. Y

Fig. 11 is an enlargement of the'upper portion of Fig. 3, showing the interfitting of the iianges on the front and rear casing sections.

`In the illustrated embodiment, my lamp includes a ,casing having a forwardly open rear section l provided with a substantially flat back and with a bottom opening through which vlight' can be directed on a license plate 3 disposed outside the lamp and lower than this opening. The casing also includes a front section which has metal parts comprising an outer portion 4 and an inner portion 5, these two portions being arranged for clamping an upper signal pane or lens 6, a more central tail signal lens 27 and a. back-up-light-transmitting Celluloid sheet 8 between them. The metal parts 4.- and 5 'have at their rear end rearwardly projecting flanges 7 and 8 between which the forward or mouth end 18 ofthe' back member 1 lits slid'ably as shown inFig. 11, thereby affording a tight seal and a non-rattling connection between the front-and rear seclby t means 0 tions of the casing. The lower .half of each of the metal front parts is desirably of a semi-frusto-conical shape coaxial with the axis of the tail light lens 27, this lens being desirably of a v:beehive formation and disposed with its axis horizontal.

The meaning of the signal or stop indication is desirably indicated by a corresponding stencil format-ion on the opper part .of the inner Jfront portion 5, thereby causing the shadows'of vcorresponding letters to appear when the upper signal pane 6 is lighted, To present this indication 'in a rela.

Vtively large form in proportion to the size of the casing, I desirably form this signal ane .or lens with anvarcuate bottom extending relatively close to the top of the beehive lens 27 Vthereby providing this pane or lens with-lower wing -)ort-ions vextending partly `along opposite sic es ofthe tail signe1lens`27- To 4light the various translucent portions .of the' lamp .eifectively, I provide two lamp bulbs, the upper and `desirably higher candle- -powered lamp bulb 10 being disposed in the rear section of the basing behind the upper frontal lens 6. This lamp bulb has its base extending through and supported by the upwardly arched portion 11 .of a artition, which portion is transversely medial of the partition and extends longitudinally of the casing from the back 2 of the stencil-carrying part of the inner metal front portion 5 to the bac-k of the casing, this partition being desirably secured to the back 2 of vthe casing by screws' 'passing through integra-l lugs 12. This partition also has two lateral portions 43 which extend from the' arched portion 11 respectively to the opposite sides of the lampv casing, The entire partition projects. forwardly beyond the mouth of the, .rear casing section 1 into the front section of the casing and. the Partition desirably has at its-front end a pair of lu s 23 orreceiving screws 14 which .the forward casing .Section is normall' Secured in position. These-screws desire lyextend through eyelets 15 'which have theirront-ends engaging the front of the'. metal part. 4 and their rear ends engaging the rear of the metal part .5, there y clamping the. three translucent portions of the front 'member between the parts l and 5 into a rigid assembly.

Extending through the back .o thefnlsincgl is a lamp'soclretl provided .at its forwar .end with means for interlocking with the base 'eta-lamp bulb 17,this socket and lamp bulb being preferably disposed coaxial with Athe tail signal .lens 37. The socket `16 has one circuit terminal 19 contaetinof directlyj with the basal terminal of the 'ower lamp bulb 17, while a circuit connection is made from the othercircuit terminal .2O of the socket to the basal terminal of the upeffective -refiection oi light from the lower lamp bulb through both the Celluloid panes 8 and the bottom window 26.

I also desirably brighten all the innerl surfaces of the upper compartment, but even this may not be .suflic-ient for causing the ulpper lamp bulb .to 'illuminate the unusualy large signal lens sufficiently so as to make it strikingly visible at considerable distances, as is now demanded .by the authorities in some States. To augment this illumination, I preferably provide an auxiliary reflector 2.8 behind the upper lamp bulb. This reflector desirably forms e. portion onf :L painboloid of revolution having its axis at right angles to the. fcc-e of the signal lens and its focus at the source of. light, the refiector being of a contour which coi-'responds approximately in front *View to the shape of the signal lens. Thai'. is to say, I provide the reflector with wings .creasing` in height towards their ends and havino their tips reach considerably downward elow the bottom of the reflector' portion which is directly behind the source of light, so that the lower ends of these wings extend considerably below the raised medial portion of the partition. By so doing, I greatly intensify the illumination of the IOll end portions -of the .signal lens. Hence,

.able to bring the stop signal indication much closer to the beehive lens of the tail signal than I lcould otherwise do` thereby permit- .ting a more compact lamp construction. -At

the same time, the concaved form of the lower face of this partition aids in redirecting light from the lower lamp bulb effectively both thro-ugh the bottom Window pane and through the celluloi-dportions 8, thereby increasing the effectiveness with which light from this lower lamp bulb is employed, and also increasing the effectiveness of the lens formation employed for the rearward bottom window.

The lower part of the rear casing section is desirably narrower than the upperA part of this section and connected to the latter by .iutwardly extending portions 3l aording shoulders overhung by the lateral ends of the partition and having these shoulders rest on them. With the partition ends thus ovehanging these shoulders and with the for ward and rear ends of the partition abutting respectively against the frontal member and againstthe back 2 of the rear section, I effectively close each compartment against the entrance of light from the lamp bulb in the other compartment.

By forming the two metal members 4 and 5 of the lamp front as above described, I not only Secure an integral stencil together with a simultaneous clamping of the translucent parts of this front member and a tight approaching of the stencil to the upper or signal'lens 6, but also secure concentric and slightly spaced flanges 7 and 8 at the rear ends of the parts 4 and 5 for receiving the correspondingly shaped forward eud 18 of the rear casing section between these lianges TandS' so as to insure a tight .Leal and a non-rat` ng connection between the. two vsections of thc lamp casing.

However, while l have illustrated and described my invention including various highly desirable shapes of different parts and highly desirable details of construction and arrangement, l do not wish to be limited to these7 since mauy changes might obviously he made without departingr either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

1 claim as my invention l. In a lamp, a casing comprising a forin a rigid assembly; the inner and outer l part-s of the front section having at their peripheries rearwardly projecting flanges disposed one within therother and separated by a substantially uniform space, the forward end of the main member bein socketcd between the said rear anges in t e said space.

2. In a lamp, a casing comprising a rear section including a back and a peripheral casing portion projecting forwardl from the back; and a front section inclu ing inner and outer parts both extended at their peripheries to ail'ord casing portions projecting rearwardly from the said face portion and terminating in spaced flanges between whieh the forward end of the said peripheral casing portion is socketed, one of the said parts having 'a shoulder against which the forward end of the said lateral easing portion abuis; a partition extending longitudinallyr of the casing and secured to the rear section, and means for detachibly fastening the front section to the partition to retain the forward end of the said peripheral casing portion in its said socketed disposition.

Signed al, Detroit, Michigan, March 11th,

CHARLES E. GODLEY. 

